Fishermen off the coast of Indonesia recently came across a giant sunfish or mola mola as it’s commonly known weighing an estimated 1.5 tons.
The fish measuring 6-feet-long was found by fishermen in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. The fish has washed ashore and they reportedly tried to push it back out to sea before it died, according to the Daily Mail who posted the exclusive photos.
Though this giant sunfish is a bonafide sea monster, it is not the largest of its kind. The sunfish has been known to reach 15,000 lbs and 14 feet in length, according to National Geographic. It is the heaviest bony fish in the world and grows in a disc shape as a result of its dorsal fin that doesn’t grow. Instead it folds under its self and creating its awkward shape. Their mouths too are fused into a beak-like shape that’s unable to close.
The sunfish is mostly found in warmer waters patrolling near the surface. It can often be mistaken for a shark by its dorsal fin that sticks out of the water. In distress, the sunfish is known to propel itself out of the water.
